11 August 2009

AirNZ challenges Aussie rivals over time-keeping

AUCKLAND - Air New Zealand has challenged domestic competitors in New Zealand to start reporting their On-Time Performance (OTP) based on a standard 10-minute window.

ANZ says that 86 percent of its 15,357 flights operated by 68 aircraft departed within 10 minutes in July.

Group executive Bruce Parton said the 15-minute window adopted by rival Pacific Blue was a slap in the face to Kiwi travellers.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœIf we can operate that number of flights and aircraft to a 10 minute standard, so too should our domestic competitors each operating with just three aircraft.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœIn a country where the majority of flights are an hour or less, having a tolerance for leaving 15 minutes late is completely unacceptable,Ã¢â¬~ Parton said.

Air New Zealand collects its OTP data from onboard computers which capture aircraft movements to the second, as compared to the manually written pilot logs used by some other carriers.

"Any airline that thinks it is acceptable being up to a quarter of an hour late on short domestic flights clearly isn't serious about customer service,Ã¢â¬~ Parton added.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœNew Zealand as a nation cannot afford to gain a reputation in the international tourism market for tardy performance when it comes to air travel. We are calling on the Aussies to do their bit for New Zealand and our nation's brand.Ã¢â¬~